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O J AI M A G A Z I N E | WINTER ‘23
In Conversation with Ojai Playhouse Project Manager and
Polo Player EXTRAORDINAIRE
Matthew Schwartz by BARBARA BURKE photos by RILEY SMOLLER
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nspired by Upper Ojai’s fresh mountain air, majestic vistas, and expansive Topatopa Mountain views, Matthew Schwartz raises and trains polo ponies at Aspen Grove Ranch in Ojai, a gorgeous mecca amid 150-year-old oaks and acres of pasture that are idyllic for raising polo ponies. Schwartz competes in polo tournaments at the Santa Barbara Polo Club, as he has since childhood. He is also the project manager for renovation of the 109-year-old Ojai Playhouse, a soon-to- be-completed effort he approaches by employing the same perfectionist standards he applies to horse training. “My life in Ojai combines everything I love about working with horses and building interesting and meaningful projects,” Schwartz says. The affable Schwartz exudes energy, humor, and intuition, especially when speaking about riding, training, and selecting polo horses. Early childhood success comes in many iterations and, in Schwartz’s case, his ardor for riding horses was apparent when he was only 2 years old. At 6, he began playing junior polo at the Will Rogers, Eldorado, and Santa Barbara Polo clubs. Schwartz is quick to emphasize that he’s not from the stereotypical well-heeled family one might envision as being immersed in the polo world — he’s neither pretentious nor overly polished. Rather, he pragmatically prepares himself and his horses for competition, intently working on the combined technical and tactical aptitude needed to perform gracefully on the polo field. “Training a polo horse to act in synchronicity with its rider is an evolving pursuit. In polo, we ask a thoroughbred to do what cutting horses do, moving at high speed in all directions, while the player controls the ball,” Schwartz says, noting that the game requires strong mental acuity by both horse and player.
At the end of a game, Matthews untacks his horses, a Polo term for taking gear off the horses.
“You’re always working to improve the relationship between horse and player, whose partnership has to feel completely seamless, and that level of connection requires immense diligence and constant maintenance.” It takes years to build a string of horses, and each player requires six to 10 of them for a single game, he adds.